Category Archives: bladder

The Disruptive Nature of the Holidays and IC: 3 Secrets to Help

bladder, bladder pain, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, ,

bigstock-Luggage-Claim-Area-4674919Most of us know, like it or not, that the healing of chronic interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder or pelvic  pain requires changes occur in lifestyle behavior patterns(LBP)  Those favorites that we hold dearly just don’t serve us very well and are the instigators of what got us in trouble in the first place   As I talked about in the past, nutrition heads that list of LBP’s that get us headed in the wrong direction, but how we combine foods,  how we rest(when to go to bed and when to get up), how we exercise, how much fluids we drink during the day, all play a role, believe it or not, in our progress toward dealing with our IC

So we take on these LBP’s and we’ve started our journey  And we’re doing pretty well  But then something happens to derail our firm intentions

The Holidays

The festivities with family and friends during the two weeks around Christmas, although a great break from work, can be disruptive to those firm intentions that we have set around these new LBP   If you think you’re all alone in this one, just ask some of your friends in your IC support group about this

Any disruption in regular schedule whether it be from traveling or festivities sets us back on our LBP intentions  This is why traveling is becoming so strenuous and Vata aggravating  It causes our loss of normal schedules that is stressful and eventually hard on the physiology  I know of many avoid travel like the plague and have severely tapered their schedules just for this very reason(change in routine to make it to the airport, eating out with airport food, change in time zones and biological clock times to name just a few)

But the disuption doesn’t end with travel  Change in sleep schedule, eating times, types of foods(difficult to place your order for different food combinations or the limitation of certain foods that you’re trying to avoid) are hard to control and hence the LBP resolutions that you’ve been working on are now on the back burner

3 Secrets for Holiday Disruption

One can only do what what one can do  Accept that and it will calm your Pitta frustration fi you have some

1 When you’re traveling practice try  just doing 5min of pranayama…or just do a minute(whatever you can do)….to keep yourself from feeling like you’re a failure because you haven’t done anything for a week or two  And when you arrive at your destination try to get into your sleeping and exercise routines as much as possible

2 Take a list of foods along with you that you want to avoid and then when surveying the various foods on the table you know you’re going to avoid those particular foods or combinations

3 Restoring your LBP  rhythm when you get back from the travels or festivities as soon as possible is another step to keep you from getting siderailed and beginning those old LBP that you know don’t support your healing

Best of luck having fun       Love DB

IC and Pelvic Nerve Involvement: 3 Energy Science Techniques

bladder, bladder pain, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, vulvodynia, , , , , ,

bigstock-Female-Reproduction-System-2034758IC produces not only bladder pain that can be intermittent(as in flares) but also often involves the vaginal canal(vulvodynia),  pelvic floor muscles, and often the rectum   And as is common with all people with IC there is some form of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract

Why the Pelvic Nerves?

IC is a systemic disease  Many matter science medical authorities who write about IC agree that in some way it is a systemic disease but the current matter science medical model limits their thinking in how IC can be systemic

From the energy model perspective the energy patterns of primarily Vata and Pitta leave the GI (GERD and IBS)after being provoked usually by the foods consumed that are unbalancing, by using incompatible food combinations, and having particular lifestyle behavioral patterns that provoke

These energy patterns find weak and vulnerable areas in the physiology   In the case of IC they settle in the pelvic area and bring about the symptoms of IC in the bladder but often times they can involve the vaginal and rectal organs as well  As you can see in the accompanying anatomical diagram the vagina, bladder, rectum, and uterus  are all intimately associated with one another as well as the pelvic plexus that innervates all these contiguous structures  You can also see how close everything is to the pelvic floor and why the pelvic muscles would be thought to be involved

When the pelvic nerves are involved, the muscles supplied by these nerves may go into spasm  Hence physical therapy has been prescribed for IC pain that seems localized to the pelvic floor or for what appears to be pelvic floor dysfunction

As the pelvic nerves are  part of the pelvic structures they can become involved   When this happens, even if the bladder and vagina are targeted with herbal therapy, either by instillation or taking herbs by mouth, it may not be enough as the nerves are not in the path of the instillations but peripheral to them

3 Techniques for Improving Pelvic Nerve Health

The vaginal canal can serve as an excellent delivery pathway to the pelvic nerves as they lay as a vast network overlying the bladder, vaginal and rectal sidewalls  The use of medicated oils freely applied or medicated herbal suppositories can be applied to the vaginal canal  By moving across the vaginal lining the herbs can directly be applied to this pelvic plexus of nerves where these energy patterns are lingering, unable to be released

Another energy science technique called pranayama(breathing exercies) can strengthen the pelvic muscles but at the same time can bring about clearance of abnormal accumulatons of energy that prevent the free flow of energy through the pelvic cavity  The specific breath technique is called kapalabhati which can be seen at this link  The individual demonstrating the technique is advanced but you can only start where you are  Pay attention to those who should not practice this technique

The last type of breath technique that can be helpful is bhramari or bumble bee’s breath…. here is a link for this technique

These last two breath techniques are best done at first with some guidance  They can both be done in a firm chair so that the hips are higher than the knees

When done daily over months with attention placed on the pelvic cavity during the practice, by and by, it will help with the energy disturbance present in the pelvic cavity

If you’d like to receive guidance, leave your email at drbilldean@gmail.com

To health as a skill       Dr Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Steps to Take to Understand Energy Science Healing

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis,

The chronicbladder pain from IC seeks a solution but you are told that the “dis-ease is treatable  not curable”

Hot and cold temperature symbolBut what would it be like if there was a solution?  Is it possible?  We are led to believe a lie, when we give up hope  And obviously there is no quick fix or IC wouldn’t be a problem  But what would it be like to have your life back?  Too hard to believe?  Well read on

The experience amongst IC patients is that the diet promoted by ICA or ICN may work for some, not for others  Sometimes works for awhile then seems to not work  What gives?  Anecdotal experience at best would be the first thing that comes to mind from such diet recommendations

From an energy science perspective your energy world(and that includes your own energy body) is made up of 10 contrasting vibrational frequencies:  hot/cold, slow-dull/sharp-penetrating, heavy/light, dry/oily, smooth/rough, liquid/dense, hard/soft, static/mobile, subtle/gross, cloudy/clear  These contrasting qualities make up all of Nature and are the foundational elements addressed in healing using the energy science approach  So if there is too much hot(IC) in your physiology, you would use something cold(aloe vera)

And when you think about this, it’s Nature’s way of teaching us about how your balance is  If you’re too hot then you need cocling  If you’re too mobile, you need to slow down(static)   You and I only learn by contrast and Nature is our teacher of when things are not going right

The Quality of Hot and the Acidity of IC

The energy science views foods as qualities not molecules  This is a complete divergence from mainstream medical thinking  And it stems from how we view the human biology  If we see the mindbody as a group of molecules as well as the food we consume then are limiting ourselves  We know from E=mc2 that matter and energy are interchangeable at a constant  So what is matter is energy and what is energy is matter  We are simultaneously both a particle and a wave form  The current medical model sees only the human biology as  a matter field

And so the dietary recommendations that you follow are molecular based   So the matter science states that it’s the molecule of acid in the urine brings about the symptoms of IC  Eliminate acid provoking foods and the IC is cleared  Ah, if it were that simple!

From an energy perspective the IC pain comes from too much of the hot quality and the frequency of urination comes from too much of the mobile quality  When we eat foods that contain these qualities in abundance you get out of balance and dis-ease occurs

Three Steps to Energy Science Nutrition

The first thing to do is to find out who you are from an energy science point of view  Although not perfect this quiz will help you determine who you are from an energy science view  This is very important because for some a particular food may be balancing for some and completely imbalancing for someone else  A good example of this is the tomato  For PV completely unacceptable and for PK  ok in moderation

The second thing to do is to follow the nutritional format based on the results of the quiz  There are clear instructions as to how to do that at the site foodsheal.com

The third is to begin CCF tea(cumin coriander and fennel seeds in equal proportions together in a plastic bag) by taking a bunch and steeping it in hot water and then sipping on this tea all day  CCF is energetically medicinal to the urinary tract and you guessed it, they all are overall cooling to the urinary channel!

To Health as a Skill      Love DrBill

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IC Fatigue and 5 Things You Can Do About It

bladder, bladder pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, IC, Interstiial cystitis, , , ,

bigstock-Tired-Woman-Yawning-6503572Some have asked about this problem of fatigue associated with the chronic bladder pain of the IC syndrome  It is natural to have fatigue if you have a chronic disease associated with pain  And of course all of us want more energy in our lives  But to make the association of pain and fatigue is simplistic at best and will not get you closer to dealing with the problem of the pain most of the time

Pain IC and Fatigue:  An Energy Science Perspective

So pain and fatigue are not related as to cause  The association is true true unrelated  Yes you have fatigue, and yes have pain but they may not be intimately related  It’s like someone owning a dog doesn’t mean they own a cat as well

Because of this one has to find out the cause of the fatigue which may and often times is different than the pain

And it’s equally simplistic to relate the disease of IC to the fatigue  Although any chronic illness can lead to fatigue, there are many reasons that the mindbody essentially gets drained and fatigue sets in  So the fatigue can be treated and it may not necessarily help with the IC  Therein lies the root cause of the fatigue that one experiences and from there the root cause is treated

In actuality both problems, fatigue and IC pain from an energy science view have to be treated separately and the treatment of the fatigue may not necessarily help with the IC

What’s The Root Cause of the Fatigue?

Soo…… I wish there was a nice simple answer to this question of fatigue but it comes in all shapes and sizes and one shoe doesn’t fit all  But let’s dive deeper into the various causes of fatigue  There are two broad categories of causes of fatigue  If you get close to these you have come a long ways in understanding your fatigue

In looking at the mindbody in terms of the energy patterns of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, the fatigue can be as a result of any form of imbalance of each of the three patterns or importantly their combinations  An imbalance of the energy pattern of Vata is usually brought about by exhaustion from overwork, travel, burning the candle at both ends, or not respecting your work capability  This last type of factor is largely ignored in a culture where everyone should be able to work “pedal to the metal”  But it’s clear from an energy perspective that each of us know our work limitations based on our mindbody energy makeup  If you know that about yourself then you can either do things to help maximize your endurance and stamina or back off when you’ve pushed too far  People who “burn themselves out” know none of this and is the reasons for fatigue in cultures all over the world

Another reason for fatigue that’s poorly understood in the matter science tradition is the role of digestive strength and how it can lead to reduced energy   As I’ve written about in previous posts, the energy  mindbody is like a battery  If you drain the battery so it has no reserve, then it will likely fail in cold weather  The same is true for digestion and  stamina/endurance  If the digestion is weak then stamina/endurance inevitably over time will suffer, no matter what age  The care of digestion is a major determinant of health in the energy science world of healing since all disease begins in the GI tract

5 Things to Begin Reducing Fatigue

1 Get to bed early  Vata 930  Pitta 1030  Kapha 1100  If you’re two primary patterns then you can fudge the times

2 Take time for self nurturing   I mean really take time  Get up early enough so that you can begin the day with this aspect of self care

3 If you have symptoms after eating such as heaviness, gas bloating, feeling like you haven’t digested the meal 3-4 hours after eating then use ginger pickle to help improve your digestive strength   A slice of ginger one inch in diameter and 1/2 inch thick with lime juice and salt

4 Breathing techniques(called pranayam) can also improve the energy body’s stamina and endurance

5 Specific yoga asana(postures) can promote grounding, reduce heat, and energize the mindbody

All the best    Love DB

 

Baking Soda and IC: Is There Value?

bladder, bladder pain, fibromyalgia, GERD, IBS, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized,

Since flares are related to mounting inflammation in the mindbody and acidity is a primary source of the hot quality as a result of the sour taste in foods it makes sense that you would use alkalinity to reverse the process

And many people with IC bladder pain, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia  swear by it

Recently a client told me about alkaline water   It brought back memory of my friend’s picture seen to the left  It is indeed stranger than fiction

Now under the right conditions with minor acidity, using baking soda could be of value  It’s just that it’s very difficult to alkalinize the physiology acutely  It would take a lot to alkanize the body and help it feel better

That’s why baking soda is questionable value

It’s like the cranberry juice story  Some people swear by it but overall the approach doesn’t make much sense from an energy science view

So is there value?  The energy science of Ayurveda says that everything in Nature is medicine and I think you can see that if the right circumstances are there it might work but the percentages are against this being a permanent solution but a temporary bandaid

All the best to solving IC      To Health as a Skill  Dr Bill

Understanding Chronic Debilitating IC and 5 Things to Do

bladder, bladder pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, CPPS, fibromyalgia, GERD, IBS, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

ChoiceIn the practice of medicine no disease is really the same as someone else’s disease  They all have their nuances of differences   And this is true of IC

No IC bladder pain syndrome is the same from one individual to another  Some have more anxiety and frequency while others have more burning and spasm  Some have other skin and eye conditions associated with their IC  Some are fortunate enough to have a few nonbacterial  “UTIs” and then things seem to rectify themselves and they never have symptoms again

Others are debilitated with symptoms and cannot function  So what’s the definition of chronic IC

The Stratification of IC

The reason that it’s difficult to assess the true prevalence of IC in a given population is that symptoms of the condition can vary widely  Some may have very localized symptoms to the bladder/pelvis and may dissipate over time for one reason or another

Some may struggle with symptoms and then with modifications to diet or using suggested remedies by friends or physicians the symptoms again gradually dissipate over time

These populations of patients are not counted typically in the IC longitudinal surveys  And then there are the men and children affected by the same voiding and pelvic dysfunction that has not as yet been labeled as IC   So you can see that the prevalence of IC may far be underestimated

But then who’s left?  Typically in studies the people with chronic symptoms congregate to form study populations  So what’s chronic IC?

Definition of Chronic IC

Admittedly due to the lateness of detection typically patients have progressed far enough along in their symptom complex that chronicity is part of the picture   Importantly the earlier a clinician can intervene with nutritional information and lifestyle the more likely that the IC will not go onto chronic debilitating disease

Chronic Debilitating IC Definition:  Bladder and/or pelvic pain for greater than 3 years that is constant and that has persisted and increased in intensity and has urologically and gynecologically been shown to have no obvious cause(eg tumor,cancer, bladder stone, ureteral disease)

Now this time frame is arguable but you get the picture that there has to be enough time to establish a pattern of chronicity  This of course is almost always(unless there is relentless pain) punctuated with acute flares

The Value of a Definition

It’s always nice to know where you are on the spectrum of any disease  But even more valuable is to give you an appreciation of what to expect in getting better

Getting better?  Wait, this disease is treatable but not curable   Currently what “treatable” means is that another groping bandaid is applied to try to manage the symptoms   Having trouble?  Try a shortstay in the outpatient surgical unit for a bladder fulguration  Or perhaps low dose Valium

So if one’s open to getting better with IC then you should want to know what to expect

Real Healing Takes Time   The No Bandaid Approach

As you know disease is not created overnight  The imbalance that creates the disease in the body takes time  But slowly but surely the symptoms become full blown and relief is required  So here are 5 things that you should understand and be willing to do if you want to manage your IC effectively

1  Patience and being in it for the long haul    So if you really get this then you realize that it will take time to reverse the imbalance that created the disease in the first place   What’s the time frame?  For every year of imbalance it will take 2 months for the disease course to reverse itself   For example, if you’ve been having problems with symptoms since 1999 then that’s at least 14 years of imbalance exposure which would mean 28 months or +2 years of work  Interestingly most people with IC are an impatient bunch  “I don’t have time to wait for healing to occur  I’ve got things to do, places to go, and people to see”   If you know that about yourself then you have the chance for being more patient about results There is no magic pill with this disease!

2 Choose a healing discipline that can deliver  Obviously the matter science approach with it bandaid approach isn’t working(interstim, bladder distentions, pharmaceuticals)  The energy science approach can affect change but it takes time   Of clinical significance is the now recognized association of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome with chronic IC(1)  As IC progresses in its chronic state it’s apparent that patients get sicker  It is at this stage of the disease that the matter science approach to healing comes to a complete standstill in terms of options  It is at this point that the  energy science model of healing can take over due to its understanding of the origin of disease

3 Realize that with chronic disease there is universally a bowel component to the problem  The matter science approach is to micromanage the bladder symptoms when the origin of the disease is at the gut level  Strange as it may sound, IC management requires that the clinician become a bowel health doctor  Otherwise there will be no success  IBS is estimated to be present in the IC population as high as 80%(2) (personally I believe it’s probably 100%..it’s just that the 20% don’t have symptoms severe enough for them to be diagnosed as IBS)  Acid indigestion(GERD) is estimated to be in the range of at least 50%( but again probably higher)  Prelief anyone?

4 Understand a multifaceted approach to disease  There are many causes that brought about the symptom complex of IC  So realize that it will take many different avenues of treatment  So it’s not just one drug(elmiron) or one procedure(interstim) but a multiplicity of interventions from a therapeutic standpoint to bring about change in symptoms

5 Toxicity  Realize that part of the process of healing is detoxification that comes along with the balancing process that occurs with the clearance of symptoms  As a matter of fact the reason that the qualities that produce IC cannot be eliminated from the pelvis is that the toxic load in the pelvis holds them there  So detoxification is mandatory if you are to get relief  But what is detoxification in the mainstream press is not anything close to what real detox is

(1)J Urol. 2010 Oct;184(4):1358-63. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2010.06.005. Epub 2010 Aug 17

(2)J Urol. 2013 Jan;189(1 Suppl):S66-74. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2012.11.019

All the best in healing         To Health as a Skill      Dr Bill

The Root Cause of IC Pain and 3 Things You Can Do

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , ,

bigstock-Beautiful-young-caucasian-woma-13038893  As you know the bladder and/or pelvic pain of IC can be unbearable and there is not much for it except pain medications  But the issue is what is the root cause of the pain  You may find the answer from your matter science doctor if a workup is done(and I would suggest that you have this done) in order to rule out other causes of your pain  But typically the workup is negative and from the Western perspective there is no root cause

From an energy science point of view there is no pain with the Vata energy pattern  Vata is the energy pattern of movement in the energy science model  It is responsible for movement of nerve impulses, blood, bowel contents, and of course the movement of the other two energy patterns of Pitta and Kapha

Different types of pain from an energy perspective

From the energy science point of view there is Vata, Pitta, and Kapha pain or combinations   But keep in mind that the Vata energy pattern is always present if pain is present  Vata pain is moving, shifting, shooting, throbbing, and pulsating pain  Pitta pain is burning, sharp, sucking and pulling whereas Kapha pain is dull and static without movement of the pain

For example after eating or a bowel movement you may have crampy colicky pain  Vata pain

Or you may experience a burning sensation in the bladder, urethra, or vagina  Pitta pain

The identification of the type of pain can be helpful in defining the root cause of the pain

Why Is The Pain Pattern Important?

As I mentioned earlier the energy science discipline seeks the root cause of all disease  As you can see the root cause of disease is typically the physiologic Vata energy  You may have the Pitta or Kapha energy pattern associated with it but Vata is the carrier so Vata is the culprit but may be overshadowed by Pitta where the predominant pain in that situation may be more burning, irritation, sharpness  So Pitta may be primary and Vata then becoming secondary

But if Vata carries Pitta from the GI tract to the pelvis to produce the symptoms of bladder, urethral, and vaginal pain, targeted therapies to calm Vata may be part of the puzzle

But what provoked Vata to begin with?  What lifestyle behavioral pattern is instigating this energy pattern to be provoked and cause the symptoms that you’re having?

What Lifestyle Behaviors Can Provoke IC

Anyone with IC has a clear idea of triggering activities that will produce a flare or at least a worsening of daily symptoms

Anxiety, “the nerves”, bowel irritability from something that was recently eaten, gas in the small intestine, and constipation are just a few of the many symptoms that you can experience that are related to the increased Vata energy pattern

If bowel pain is an associated symptom of your IC, chances are that the Vata energy pattern is at work to produce this complex of symptomsAnd here are some things that you can do

1  Journal about your pain and see if you can pin down what was done regarding lifestyle choices that could have brought the pain on

2  Bowel rest by just a simple 24 hour juice fast can be helpful to calm the bowel

3  If there is a lot of emotional turmoil set up a consistent regimen of focusing on your breath for 5 minutes morning and evening  You can try doing this when lying in bed just before you get up in morning and when resting before going off to sleep at night

To Health as a Skill         Love and blessings Dr Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Association of IC and Fibromyalgia

bladder, bladder pain, fibromyalgia, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, ,

Fibromyalgia awareness.It is estimated that many people with fibromyalgia(FM) have an IC like symptom complex in mild form as well only to exacerbate as the years progress

As a matter of fact that’s why IC is now looked upon as a syndrome of diseases rather than an isolated disease of the urinary bladder   The energy science due to its way of looking at disease doesn’t create disease labels but sees all problems in the body as imbalances of qualities and hence with such a system of healing leaves clustering of disease labels as the way to understand how to treat

So if the imbalance is just Vata and Pitta in the urinary tract it’s just IC(if Vata is predominant you will experience frequency and urgency but not burning pain labeled as overactive bladder OAB)   But as you will see if you see Vata and Pitta both affect the muscles of the body along with ama then FM can coexist with the IC symptoms

Fibromyalgia is rheumatoid arthritis(RA) like pain that doesn’t involve the joints   All of the complaints are related to the muscular and connective tissue system with the accompanying aches and pains   The commonality between RA and FM is ama

Tongue Monitoring and Ama

The bodily systems are fully exposed on the tongue  By scraping the tongue in the am and checking it out you get a snapshot of how the body is   If you’ve been traveling and you have had cracks and crevices on the tongue these become more prominent   If there have been several days of heavy eating the tongue will show more coating due to the digestive strength being weakened    It’s a very good way to monitor your health on a day to day basis

So if you see a brownish, yellowish, or white coating on the tongue it implies that there is undigested material in the GI tract that needs to be digested   This material is called ama and is a significant contributor to chronic disease   If you have a coated tongue the first step in recovering your health is to clear ama from the GI tract which I’ll spend some time with you in the future

The Creation of FM

Once the qualities of Vata become excessive in the colon where Vata primarily localizes Vata due to its mobile quality carries this toxic residue of undigested material through the lymphatics and blood to the muscular tissue    This produces irregular temperatures due to this ama in the blood stream(it’s like the fever experienced with overeating)   Vata localizes with its ama load in certain Vata predisposed areas of the body, namely the shoulder and pelvic girdles

Pains of FM vary   As in the bladder if just Vata is involved then clinicians label the problem as OAB   And so if just Vata is involved then the pain of FM can be variable, migrating, and excruciating    If Vata in the colon is blocked by excessive hot or Pitta then the pain will be burning and sucking, accompanied by a metallic taste in the mouth(Pitta in the blood layer), experiencing a smokey aroma, and notable irritability   If Kapha and Vata are involved the pain will be dull but will be sweet because it lets you sleep

Psychological or Mind Aspects of FM

From an energy science perspective the subconscious mind is located in the connective tissue of the body   All the tissue that connects the muscles together, attaches them to bones, and maintains form of the body is related to this connective tissue system that we call fascia   So fascia is the subconscious mind and those emotions that you don’t want to face get pushed into the fascial layer

This is why when Vata enters into the fascial layer of the body it creates instability, anxiety, and fear   This is due to the mobile quality of Vata but leaves you the owner of the body very ungrounded because the subconscious mind is ungrounded

It is not infrequent that people go into yoga poses and experience emotional releases due this very fact

But if Pitta is there with Vata not only may you experience anxiety but also anger and irritability   And if Kapha is present with Vata then you may experience inertia, lack of motivation, lethargy, and mental fatigue

Summary

So this is an overview of FM and its relationship with IC and you can see why it would be so easy for these conditions to overlap   The ama condition of FM differentiates itself from IC where there is no tissue layer for the ama to localize   In IC the ama has no place to localize and so it’s simply passed through in the urine   But it can’t do that in the bodily tissues    There’s no place for it to be removed so it has to accumulate in some tissue to which Vata has carried it

The treatment for FM and IC together doesn’t vary much more than if you were treating them as separate diseases    You first have to get rid of the ama which I will talk about in future blogs

Until next time                                                  To Health as a Skill  Love DrBill

Sesame Oil Swish and Cleansing in IC

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , ,
bigstock-Puffy-Cheeks-274264As I’ve talked about in the past thepelvic bladder  pain of IC is related to the hot and mobile qualities being stuck in the pelvis  But why do some 60% of IC patients not go on to severe chronic symptoms?  The answer in short form is toxic load in the urinary system that prevents the qualities from naturally being released
Kavala is an ancient energy science technique of swishing sesame oil in the oral cavity for a period of time  It is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts written 1000’s of years ago
Recently this sesame oil swish technique has become known as oil pulling and become a new popular health topic popularized by a Ukranian physician, F Karach MD who in 1992 produced testamonials showing the effectiveness of the technique,  stating that it cculd affect the clinical course of many chronic diseases  And Bruce Fife ND has had clinical experience with the technique and validates its effectiveness using coconut oil
But weighs in Andrew Weil, MD  “Oil pulling won’t hurt you, but I wouldn’t depend on it to help you improve your overall health or treat a significant medical problem”

Matter Science Skepticism

Since the current matter science medical model has no place for the understanding of how such a technique might work, the method is discounted but not necessarily dismissed  Comments such as those by the matter science natural healer Weil go on record being cautious
And there are no studies to date showing its efficacy in disease management  You see the medical model works from a cause effect molecular relationship with disease  Since there can be no cause effect here then the method is seen as a curiosity at best
But there are countless anecdotal experiences of kavala as being health promoting  Others such as those having no repercussions to taste after oral radiation therapy or the improvement in periodontal disease

An Energy Science Explanation

The use of unrefined sesame  oil in the oral cavity creates a medicinal effect to the lining of the mouth with the penetrating effects of the oil reaching the skin  Over time(ears)  this reduces facial wrinkling around the oral cavity
There are reports of improved gum health improving periodontal disease that has clearly been shown to be a risk factor for coronary vessel disease and thus heart attacks
But to anyone who has used this technique for a period of time there is an unmistakeable benefit  Kavala has a distinct effect on the tongue after the oil has been in the mouth and then spit out   The tongue has a characteristic whitish cast to it indicating toxic congestive release from the tissues
The tongue from an energy science perspective is a representation of many organs in the body such as the liver, colon, and kidneys, all of which carry toxic load  This toxic load is in the lymphatics and each taste bud on the tongue has a small lymphatic channel  Toxic load shows up on the tongue as a whitish to brownish cast
When kavala is done it is a invitation for the body to release toxic accumulation from organs in the body  This is why Dr Karach refers to the technique as oil pulling, as toxic load is being pulled from the body

Many Ways to Detoxify

In the energy science it’s taught that:
1) We should avoid toxifying the body  There are many ways to prevent this from happening  Appropriate nutrition for your body’s energy makeup, avoiding incompatible food combinations, proper rest, proper exercise, etc, etc
2) But as important release those toxins that have accumulated  This can be done in a myriad of different ways and kavala is one of them
Using a mixture of  ¼ teaspoon of rock sea salt with ½ cup of warm water and swish and gargle with after kavala brings heat to the load that has been brought to the tongue
The matter science doesn’t even attempt to talk about toxic accumulation is daily living but the energy science says that if you’re not mindful of what choices you’re making it’s a given that you’ll be creating toxic load
So as to paraphrase Dr Weil, “It can’t hurt”  And I would add can be beneficial in many different ways
All the best  DB
It is a good idea to clean the mouth with warm
salt water after kavala (chewing or swishing
oil)  The tongue is connected to all the organs,
which allows this process to pull toxins from
the entire body. The liver, colon and kidneys
tend to carry large amounts of toxins. Before
you clean your mouth next time, take a
minute to notice your tongue and any areas of
prominent yellow or white coating. Referring
to the tongue/organ chart shows which area of
the tongue correlates with the organs.
Notice the areas that are affected for you.
Since the oil is carrying these toxins, take care
not to accidentally swallow any of the oil.
It could lead to headache, nausea, and even
fever. Keeping all this toxic business in mind,
it is best not to leave any toxins or residue in
the mouth. I .

Castor and Trigger Point Therapy for IC

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, , , , ,

Downward gati with pelvic marmaThe debilitating bladder pain of an IC(interstitial cystitis)  flare requires you to pull all stops and do everything to get comfortable  As I’ve talked about in the past chronic management is baseline work(nutrition, incompatible food combination avoidance, use of cooling herbs in cooking, CCF tea, etc)  These therapies help begin release and at times flares are an aspect of release  The treatment of flare in this setting takes the management to another level of pain management

One of the mainstays of acute treatment is the use of castor oil  As I’ve written about earlier the use of castor packs have been traditionally discussed but I’ve found that just using castor directly to the skin is as if not more effective

Another important aspect of the use of castor is to take advantage of various marma points as noted in the diagram  These points are related to not only acupuncture points but pertain to organs in the pelvis and can be likened to trigger points because they are related to internal organs that are in pain

Trigger Points(aka marma or acupuncture points)

The castor is cooling when externally applied but when taken internally it’s hot leading to diarrhea  This external affect is effective longterm  The oil can be applied directly to the area below the belly button out laterally to the flanks

A towel can be placed over the oleated skin to protect a heating pad if you want to use one

Essential oils that are cooling such as mint, rose, or sandalwood can be  applied to the bladder points(these are noted in the accompanying diagram)  The midline point is called basti(main bladder point) marma and slightly above it is CV5 acupuncture point which regulates water  CV4 is another acupuncture point is slightly below this important point and regulates the kidneys

Another point just above the pubic bone is the CV2 acupuncture point and corresponds to bhaga marma which  helps relieve pelvic pain

The other points noted are peripheral to the bladder points but do affect pelvic organ pain and it’s worthwhile to also treat these as well

Application and Self Treatment

Apply the oil directly to the skin below the belly button to the pubic bone

Apply the cooling essential oils to the points

Apply pressure to each of the points with rotation  Use the diagram beginning with basti marma as described above

Keep applying the pressure until discomfort is noted and then back off just a little  As you apply the pressure do so with some undulation or rotation whichever feels better to you

Do this for all points in the diagram  When you are out laterally you can use both hands on each left and right marma points

How Long?

The general rule is as often as you can  Usually this isn’t a problem because when you’re laid up with a flare people are usually flat on their back in pain

For more direction I would use an hour as a time interval and consider doing it twice a day in many instances

I would suggest journaling your symptoms when you’re doing trigger therapy because the changes that you experience will be subtle as you move along and you will want to be aware of these changes

All the best        Love DB